Sunday, April 3
(2-1) Atlanta Braves - 11
(1-2) Washington Nationals - 2
Box Score
Play-By-Play
Video Highlights
Photos
Brian McCann's Continued Onslaught:
The catcher kept his hot streak alive through three games with a 3-5 day, driving in four runs to help lead the Braves to a 11-2 rout of the Nationals. His first RBI came in the first inning on a two-out single with Nate McLouth standing on second. He caught a changeup by Jordan Zimmermann and drove it up the middle.
After striking out in the fourth and popping out in the sixth, McCann struck in the seventh with another two-out single, driving in two runs. The bases were loaded at the time, and it put the Braves at a comfortable distance. However, he wasn't done, driving in another run as part of a six-run eighth with a single.
McCann finished the Washington series 6-13 with five RBI.
Tim Hudson's Dominance of the Nationals:
Career numbers against an opposing team may not mean much considering the team isn't always the same, but if there was ever a case where you might believe otherwise, it's Hudson versus the Nationals. Hudson allowed one run on three hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out five. He struggled some early with control, but he quickly settled in and didn't allow a baserunner after the second inning. His final GB/FB ratio was 8/3, and despite the early hits and walk, along with five strikeouts, he only threw 85 pitches through seven innings.
Hudson's career numbers against the Nationals stand at 10-2, 1.91 ERA, 28 walks and 88 strikeouts. Even if the Nationals revamped their entire lineup, Hudson would probably feel pretty confident pitching against the team.
WPA (Win Probability Added) Winners:
(ATL) Tim Hudson: .269
(ATL) Martin Prado: .184
(ATL) Brian McCann: .170
WPA Losers:
(WAS) Doug Slaten: -.115
(WAS) Ivan Rodriguez: -.098
(ATL) Nate McLouth: -.090
Game graph courtesy of FanGraphs:
Quotes courtesy of David O'Brien of the AJC:
Fredi Gonzalez:On Hudson’s turnaround after first inning:
"The run they scored [in the first], he was still pitching well. It wasn’t like they hit the cover off the ball. His stuff was on today. He was sharp, his command was good. That was nice to see."
Fredi Gonzalez:On hitting the ball hard with better results:
"They fell in, and Prado and Gonzo, you can go on and on, I think everybody got multi-hits today, and even if they didn’t, they hit the ball hard at somebody. We did that with people on base and we were able to score some runs."
Brian McCann:On Hudson’s head-first slide at home:
"Play of the year. If there’s a play that tops that… I don’t know if there will be all season long for us. That was awesome. He’s been wanting to do that for 10 years now."